RAF Jet Chases Russian Planes Away From UK
Two Russian bombers which flew close to UK airspace have been chased away by an RAF jet fighter. The aircraft, believed to be Tupolev 95s, were spotted off the coast of northeast Scotland.
They were turned away from Britain when an RAF Typhoon was scrambled from Leuchars airbase, near Dundee.
--clip
Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said foreign planes often fly close to UK airspace, with eight similar incidents reported in 2013.
"The RAF Typhoon is one of Britain's quick reaction aircraft and would have gone up, made contact with the Russian planes and ensured they did not plan to fly into British airspace," he said.
"These sorts of events happen quite regularly and that maybe surprising for some people.
more...
http://news.sky.com/story/1247985/raf-jet-chases-russian-planes-away-from-uk
[hr][hr]
Dutch Scramble Jets After Russian Bombers Approach
AMSTERDAM (AP) -- The Dutch defense department says several NATO member countries scrambled jets Wednesday afternoon after a pair of Russian bomber planes approached their airspace over the North Sea.
The Dutch ministry identified the planes as two Russian TU-95 Bears, and said it had launched two F-16s from Volkel air force base to intercept them. The Russian jets were escorted by aircraft from the Netherlands, Britain and Denmark until they departed.
Maj. Wilko Ter Horst said "that's why we scrambled, that's why the Danish scrambled and the English scrambled, to ensure to insure they fly out of our air space."
The ministry statement said such incidents have occurred before, citing one from March 21 and another on Sept. 10 last year.
Read more: http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/25320772/dutch-scramble-jets-after-russian-bombers-approach#ixzz2zjXmyDF4